Covid-19 has transformed China’s remote work culture, but who can afford this lifestyle and how does it impact local communities?
As the camera pans over lush green rice paddies, settling on a range of mountains decked with rays of sunlight piercing a sky of fluffy white clouds, 30-year-old Fu Yeye provides a whimsical voice-over: “With 2,000 yuan in Dali, you can buy an idyllic life that you couldn’t get for even 10,000-plus in Beijing.” The scene, posted on Fu’s account on popular youth lifestyle app Xiaohongshu (RED), switches to views over Dali’s Erhai Lake at sunset, and Fu’s rented courtyard where she lives with her boyfriend and dog, “Bunny.”
Remote Freedom: The Cost of Utopia for China’s Fledgling Digital Nomads is a story from our issue, “Kinder Cities.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine. Alternatively, you can purchase the digital version from the App Store.
Sam Davies is the managing editor at The World of Chinese. He writes mainly about Chinese society, especially life outside the biggest cities. His pieces touching on diverse topics from the future of China’s ski industry to efforts to prevent juvenile crime.
Elise Mak is a contributing writer at The World of Chinese.
